"Chip War" by Chris Miller (2022)

"After initially accusing Mark Shepherd of being an imperialist, Minister Li quickly changed his tune.  He realized a relationship with Texas Instruments could transform Taiwan's economy, building industry and transferring technological know-how.  Electronics assembly, meanwhile, would catalyze other investments, helping Taiwan produce more higher-value goods.  As Americans grew skeptical of military commitments in Asia, Taiwan desperately needed to diversify its connections with the United States.  Americans who weren't interested in defending Taiwan might be willing to defend Texas Instruments.  The more semiconductor plants on the island, and the more economic ties with the United States, the safer Taiwan would be..."

Chris Miller is an Associate Professor of International History at Tufts University.  Besides Chip War he's written three other books, all of which explore Russian economic policies.

Chip War begins, predictably, with the birth of the semiconductor industry.  From there it moves on to the development of this technology in the United States and the export of semiconductor manufacturing processes into Asia.

But the technology, of course, is only half of the story.  There are also geopolitical factors at play, many of which go back to the Cold War, and some of which extend to increasing tensions between China and the United States.  Caught between the two superpowers is the tiny island nation of Taiwan, where most of the cutting edge semiconductor manufacturing technology happens to be located.

I think Chip War offers a good overview of why the world depends on the Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Corporation, and also why Taiwan is of such strategic importance.  It's not just Taiwan's presence along major shipping lanes, and it's not just a Western desire to encircle China.  It's also an industry centered around a very, very important fabrication facility in Taiwan, the existence of which both attracts and repels its much larger, communist neighbor.

If you're interested in the topic I think you'll find Chip War a rewarding read.  It's not as in-depth as it pretends to be, and the geopolitical ramifications of this "chip war" could have been explored in greater detail, but it's a good introduction to the topic, if not the summative work I hoped it would be.

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"Circe" by Madeline Miller (2018)

"Ariadne's light feet crossed and recrossed the circle. Every step was perfect, like a gift she gave herself, and she smiled, receiving it. I wanted to seize her by the shoulders. Whatever you do, I wanted to say, do not be happy. It will bring down fire on your head.

"I said nothing, and let her dance."

Madeline Miller's The Song of Achilles was also reviewed here recently.  Circe is her second and most recent book.  She's had two short stories published but I haven't read them yet.  At the time of writing she's working on a third novel which incorporates the Persephone myth.

If you've read The Song of Achilles, Circe is more of the same: Greek myth told from an alternate perspective, tragedy mixed with a sense of optimism, fatalism tempered by the idea that clever people can change their fate.  Circe tells the tale of the immortal witch sentenced to life imprisonment on an island, with Circe's desire for mortal companionship proving both her undoing and her ultimate salvation.

Odysseus/Ulysses shows up about halfway through the book, and I think the author did a great job bringing both him and Circe to life.  Their personal struggles feel at once immediate and faithful to the the epic poem they represent, with enough room left for each to develop in surprising ways.

I suppose the real question for most readers will be how this book compares to The Song of Achilles, the book that broke its author into the mainstream.  I think I can say without equivocation that The Song of Achilles is a far superior book, but this isn't to say that Circe is by any means bad.  Miller wrote her Song over a period of ten years, and if Circe feels more rushed by comparison that's to be expected.  It's still a very good book, and I never felt bored by it.

Miller's as-yet-unseen third novel?  Sign me up, I'll read it.

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"The Song of Achilles" by Madeline Miller (2012)

"'There is no law that gods must be fair, Achilles,' Chiron said.  'And perhaps it is the greater grief, after all, to be left on earth when another is gone.  Do you think?'"

Madeline Miller is an American author with a background in Latin and Greek.  The Song of Achilles was her first novel.  Her second novel, Circe, followed in 2018.

In The Song of Achilles the author explores the relationship between the godlike Achilles and his mortal lover Patroclus, a story familiar to anyone who's read The Iliad.  Miller's book contextualizes the romantic pairing between the two, giving us more background on Patroclus' early life and how the two men met and fell in love.

Anyone familiar with The Iliad knows how their story ends, but Miller's work goes a long way to humanizing Homer's irrational Achilles, and also toward putting his world on a more naturalistic footing.  This novel of course lacks the poetry of Homer's epic, but that's entirely the point.  Miller isn't trying to make some larger statement about the beauty and horror of war, but rather to relate the tragedy of two men whose love for one another clashed with both the culture of their time and the ambitions driving gods and nations.

This Song of Achilles is an admirable success.  I haven't read a work of fiction this concise in years, and the ending, for all its well-worn parts, will surprise those expecting a simple setup for the fall of Troy.  I haven't read Circe yet, but whenever I happen upon that book I'll be sure to buy a copy.

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